Romance of the Four Kingdoms
by KickXin
Summary: Two women from a post-war dystopia are immediately swept into the politics of four reigning kingdoms of the demonic feudal era. When the political plots of the Lord's become more convoluted they will have to lie, cheat, and fight their way back home. Not a romance. Rating due to language and physical abuse.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own Nami and Jo, nothing else.

Sup Nerds. This was a story that was ruined by a beta a while back. Instead of just editing, it was changed. It irked me because I was too lazy to change it back. I finally resurrected this story back to it's original plot. If it's boring this way, I apologize, but give it a chance. Read and review and tell me what sucks about it.

Anyways, enjoy.

* * *

A low hiss sounded as muscles strained to prop her body up. Ember eyes looked at the sky.

In a small clearing, a woman stood slowly looking at her unfamiliar surroundings. Beside her another body, this one unconscious, breathed slowly.

"Shit."

)O(

Sesshomaru paced around the palace, up the stairs, down the halls, across the library and training room. This wasn't the first time a portal had been opened from another world. After all, his brother's noisy companion managed to use portals all the time.

He managed to safely close most of them and disallowed the entrance of other beings into his world, but with the last portal he wasn't sure. The air around the eastern part of his lands smelled off. It was contaminated from something, but what puzzled the western lord was that they couldn't find the source.

Sesshomaru passed his study and stopped at a window where he looked out towards the eastern part of his lands. He would soon have to set out and find the nuisance.

If it was alive, he would have to kill it. To him, the influx of foreigners recently was an infestation. Once something had slipped through a portal it would affect the lands and even rewrite history. Naraku would have been eliminated much more quickly had that amateur priestess not interfered and allowed him to slip by numerous times.

So, Sesshomaru was vigilant. On several occasions, humans would be spirited away and meet their bloody fate when confronted by Sesshomaru.

It would not be possible if a certain demon hadn't escaped prison. The time demon, Tempest, had opened portals in several places to throw search units off his scent and a month later had been successful. Every time a new portal would open up, the atmosphere would shift and it left the inhabitants in nearby regions uneasy at the disturbance.

The first time they caught Tempest, Lord Jin of the Eastern lands graciously accepted the task of housing the demon. That was a mistake. Sesshomaru knew he would be incompetent and predicted the eventual escape of Tempest. Perhaps, he let the demon go willingly.

"L-Lord Sesshomaru?" The regal lord looked down towards a small ugly toad demon waiting down the hall. Sesshomaru honestly didn't know why he kept the ugly demon around. It wore the ugliest of tunics and smelled of sake from the Inutaiyoukai's cellar.

"What, Jakken?" the annoyed dog demon bellowed out.

"Well, Mi-lord there is reason to believe more humans escaped the portal and has wondered west towards us. The search units want to know your plan of action."

The dog demon walked past the toad as he spoke, "Tell them I will deal with the problem myself."

)O(

Stumbling through shrubbery, the ember-eyed girl carried the still unconscious body on her back.

"God, you weigh too much, Nami!" The body on her back gave a satisfied snore as she comfortably dug her knees into the carrier's hips.

"Time to wake up…" The dead weight gave a sudden yelp as she fell on cold dirt.

"Hey, I was dreaming there!" Nami sat on her bum in the midst of moss-covered dirt. Jo sighed, unsure of which direction to go.

Nami stood and brushed the dirt off her fiery red hair. Her red eyes had shown through her long bangs while the rest of her hair was styled into a choppy bun. She rearranged her broadsword that jabbed her side from the fall. It was an heirloom that was long overdue for a servicing.

Jo, looked down at her black baggy pants that had a new tear at the hem. The handles from two sabers that hung from her side managed to graze the fabric and the light brown skin of her hips shown through. She picked leaves out of long jet-black hair braided behind her.

"Jo, where the hell are we?" The redhead walked forward to a tree marked with scratches. Around the tree, she spied a rundown trail of plants dug out from their roots.

"What the…"

"I think we should start moving and find somebody that could help us. Maybe not if the folks around these parts aren't of the friendly variety." Jo turned south and began walking in the opposite direction of the wreckage in the forest.

"Wait. I think we should explore first." Nami lit up at her own idea.

"You're still the same. We shouldn't explore. We aren't on familiar lands anymore. If we explored we could be going around in circles. Besides, I think the sooner we find people the sooner we eat."

The redhead nodded as her stomach growled on cue. They headed south and Nami surveyed their surroundings.

The air was pristine and fresher than what they normally breathed. The plants seemed healthier: an odd bright green. The sky even seemed bluer and the breeze was cool and refreshing. There was no smell of the city. There was no sound of sirens or traffic far off and no signs of any roads or highways. The forest was eerily quiet as they walked on.

It was peculiar, and even a treat, to see so much greenery in the environment. The last time they were allowed outside the walls of their city was to fight in the Blitz, a civil war for their country. Their rundown city would never be as beautiful as this.

Nami brushed her fingers against an exotic flower. It was proudly thriving over unblossomed buds. She had never seen a flower so large or colorful. The plants that sprouted between concrete in front of their bar were weed-like dandelions and henbit. It was a giveaway. She knew that they were no longer in their country.

It was only the first clue out of many.

The most prominent one was the door-like portal in the bar both Nami and Jo lived in. After a long night shift, bathroom duties fell onto the girls. They were mopping up vomit from the tiled floors when a sound like a crack reverberated throughout the small space. Jo had kicked down the stall door believing someone shot firearms in the stall. Then, she was gone. All that was left was a thin line of silver that was slowly dissipating. Without thought, Nami rushed into it and all was black until she woke up on the other side.

Still…there was something unmarred about this place. It was newer, or older. And, displaced.

"Jo, you don't suppose we're in a different country, do you?" Nami concluded. The idea seemed so far out of reach, but the evidence was astounding.

"You are in a different time," replied a newcomer.

Both women turned towards the direction of a voice and were perplexed by what they saw. A tall man slowly stalked towards them with long silver hair, yellow eyes, and a moon on his forehead above his brow. The purple markings on his face began from his high cheekbones and ended near the rear of his cheek. A white haori adorned with red flowers covered his form. On his left shoulder, heavy battle armor rested on his right shoulder and midsection. Two sword hilts rested on his side on which one of the man's hand rested on.

Both blinked unknowingly at the stranger. The older was the first to talk,"Fuh-ck," and come up with something unintelligible to say.

Nami looked at the man's stance and knew what Jo had thought. This man had come to kill them.

Jo finally executed a sentence and spoke to the man. "Is there any particular reason you came here to kill us?" Nami gulped, as did Jo.

The man slid the killing instrument from his hilt with an incessant ring and pointed it in their direction. "You don't belong here."

Nami 'meeped' at his short reply, but his words confirmed it.

Jo eyebrows raised at the reply. Nami turned to face Jo with a hopeless look in her eyes. It was the 'look' Jo had known all too well.

'It's so…pathetic. Fine.' Jo knowing the other girl's inner wishes faced the regal looking man and said with an almost calm expression, but she was trembling inside, "I can strike you a deal, if you let us live."

The man narrowed his eyes at the two, "I don't make deals with humans."

A quick appearance of confusion flashed on Nami's face. She glanced over at Jo, noticing she picked up on the phrasing also by her taken–aback expression.

'He's not human?,' Nami almost seemed to ask silently to Jo.

"Could you at least listen to our offer first?" Jo pleaded, knowing very well the man (or whatever he may call himself) probably wouldn't grant her wish. She hated having to beg, but she had no choice. Taking his silence as an approval she continued.

"Technically, if you let us live, we'll be in debt to you.

You can use us to take care of errands, though we have special abilities that can help us provide another option for you. We can probably be a loved one's guardians-," seeing him narrow his eyes more at this she quickly continued albeit a little concerned for their well-being, "…or bodyguards of some one important enough to have us escort them."

Sesshomaru seemed to consider proposition while contemplating whether it was a good idea to keep humans around. He glared at the two girls and with a flick of his hand his sword had slid back into its hilt. He continued to glower at them while he motioned for them to follow him.

An exhale of relief was barely heard, but audible enough for the dog demon to pick up on it. He was gratified at his ability to put others at a state of unease and would enjoy toying with these humans before he put them to "work." With each step they took towards his palace, the two humans grew apprehensive with the extended amount of silence.

As the sun finally hit the horizon, both girls finally saw the palace that belonged to the man, or whatever he was, before the sun disappeared beneath the earth's surface. It was huge. Beyond the outer walls, the estate's grounds overflowed with exotic foliage and streams. Within the inner walls, the great behemoth stood that was the palace.

As they stepped inside, a number of servants came forward to take the armor and the swords of the now known lord. He turned towards them before speaking in an icy voice.

"You will address me as my honorific when you are in my palace. There will be, under any circumstance, no weapons allowed on the east wing. They are allowed on the west wing where I will be testing your skills tomorrow. As for your job…follow me."

The lord led them through many hallways and doors. On the walls were ancient scrolls and paintings. Lining the next wall were tapestries and carvings made of intricate designs. Iridescent dark colors of the statues seemed to blend into the background. The hall seemed to grow darker in color as they walked towards the inner palace. The lord stopped at a door with a wilting wreath hanging off the door.

"This is Rin's room. I expect you to stay by her side when I'm not around. If anything harms her it will result in both your deaths regardless whose fault it is. Understood?"

Both girls nervously nodded in silence.

Sesshomaru continued and sensed waves of fear radiating off both of the two girls. He enjoyed it.

He turned and slid the door open. A girl not older than nine bound out and hugged on to his lower half due to how short she was. Jo smiled genuinely at Rin.

The lord sighed like an annoyed father would before informing the small girl.

"Rin. These people are here to protect you when I'm not around. Rin…" Rin had stopped hugging the lord and studied the two women. Her eyes trailed down to the chains on Jo's belt which she began wreathing like she did the door.

"Rin you will get to know them this evening at dinner."

Nami resisted smiling while Rin tugged away at the chains filling them with flowers.

Sesshomaru began to walk down the hall, motioning for all to follow. Deeper towards the inner castle were a couple of rooms near next to no light that were dark, but quaint.

"This will be your room." He almost left before Nami turned around realizing something.

"Sir?"

The lord turned around looking on with emotionless eyes. Nami nearly faltered now knowing what Jo felt like when the heat was on her.

"What's your title? There must be one considering…" She motioned to her surroundings.

"Lord Sesshomaru. What are your names?"

Nami looked relieved he didn't bite her head off. "I'm Nami. Kaze Nami."

Lord Sesshomaru almost did a double take when he saw Jo teaching Rin how to braid wreaths faster. "And your name?"

Jo looked up from Rin's wreaths. "Jo."

* * *

R & R!


	2. Chapter 2

Lord Sesshomaru sat in his study thinking of the new guard's.

The humans in Japan were almost all the same with black hair and brown eyes. Occasionally, some were lucky enough to get dark or lighter brown hair, but the two girls in the palace could not be humans. By the smell in the air, he distinguished there were no dyes used for the humans to get such artificial colors. It was rare, even for demons, to have that crimson shade of red and Jo's hair was so dark, it was blue.

The same was true for eye colors. Red and gold eyes were most common among demons and demons only.

Humans were not special in any way at all. They were not known for uniqueness or intelligence. What separated these two from the common man? They didn't run, nor did they attack when Sesshomaru had his hand on his sword. They preferred discussion before actually taking action.

They also had weapons with them so they are able, but not strong enough to defeat the demon lord two to one.

The demon continued to contemplate, thinking of the possible outcomes that could arise from giving these humans a job. However, none of that truly mattered. The reason he kept them alive were for more sinister purposes than to just repay a debt. They would have to earn their positions if they truly wanted the jobs. Or, if they wanted to stay alive.

Soon, a tournament would be held on the eastern lands and he would need volunteers to participate. It was a tournament that celebrated the peace and camaraderie between the greater kingdoms. Sesshomaru didn't see the purpose of going every year to put on such a false show. It was obvious under the facades and smiles that all was not well between the kingdoms; but, this year he would take part with gusto. Instead of patrolling and expanding his lands for power, he would enter the humans and watch them choke under the pressures of combat.

This way, he could get rid of the two women from the portals and increase his political renown. Simply, it was two birds with one stone.

)O(

Later that evening, the new residents traveled around the palace learning of all the routes as they made their way to the dining area. Nami looked at all the old scrolls hanging from the walls and appreciated them silently.

"So…Jo, what's the plan?"

Jo continued walking forward and reached out towards one of the paintings. She sighed, "There is no plan." Nami stopped with wide eyes.

"No plan! How are we gonna get outta here?"

After an eerie silence, Nami grinned at Jo. Jo blinked curiously at her best friend, "Nami? What are you smiling at?"

Nami only continued to grin as the familiar figure of the lord appeared from the opposite end of the hall.

"So what do you think of…you know who? Does he make you saucy?"

Jo's eyes widened, "Is that why you think…The answer is no."

Nami laughed, "You lie."

Jo laughed also as she traced the outlines on the painting. "You know I could never get saucy with anyone like that. Even though he looks so-" Jo never got to finish her sentence as she spotted the lord when she turned around.

"Oh."

The lord scowled immensely at Jo as he walked past the two on his way to the dining area. Nami barely held in her laughs as he walked off. Jo popped Nami across her head.

"That wasn't funny! I don't think he would've hesitated to kill us if I said something I shouldn't have said. Who were you talking about anyways?"

Nami grinned, "Atlas, of course. And, what were you gonna say?"

Jo rolled her eyes at Nami, "Apparently, none of your business now."

"I'll find out later anyway." Nami walked into the dining area still grinning.

Jo started to trail after her, but stopped. Atlas…

Atlas, along with Kou, had been a bouncer at the bar they all inherited. Sesshomaru reminded Jo of the equally pale-haired bouncer, but Atlas was tan due to standing outside of the bar near the door. She felt the first prickles of anxiety on her neck as she realized she may never speak to him again.

They never spoke more than a few words to each other every day, but near closing time he would always seek her out and share his last cigarette. Jo hadn't even realized that Nami had picked up on the way she felt. She seldom looked at him. Jo shook her head and tried to clear it. It wouldn't benefit her to dwell on it.

Jo, despite being upset, followed Nami into the dining area.

)O(

As per the request of Rin, Nami and Jo joined the demon lord and his ward for dinner. During the meal, the two girls sat silently while Rin rambled on. Once in a while, she would pause for Nami's opinion on the situation. Both women had forgotten the topic fifteen minutes ago. Nami sighed and continued the conversation with an ambiguous answer, "Well, what do you think?"

Rin grinned, "I think we should give you different clothes, because you look funny. Right, Lord Sesshomaru?"

His brow rose at this before replying, "Only when we leave these grounds."

Jo choked on the rice that had slipped down her throat. "We have to change clothes? Why?"

"Do not question my authority."

The lord continued glaring at Jo when he said this. She groaned and massaged her temple.

Nami looked on knowing an argument was coming on from the look on both her friend's and the lord's face. Neither one of them seemed the type of people who would back down from an argument. Jo placed her chopsticks neatly on her plate then turned towards the lord.

"The women's clothes from your time are hard to move around in. I saw the servants' clothing. We can't do our jobs wearing clothes like that."

Jo paused to read the lords expressions before continuing. "Besides our clothes provide equipment and access to things we need most." Nami grinned knowing the last part was a lie, but a good lie nonetheless.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, "I warned you."

He snapped his fingers and an ugly toad demon appeared. Nami flinched at how ugly it was. The bug eyes that seem to almost protrude too far from their sockets were eerie.

Sesshomaru stood from the table. He was livid as blood seemed to seep into his eyes. He sensed the human's lies and it enraged him.

"Get their weapons and go to the training room." Before the demon left, he turned to regard Jo, "I expect you to be there."

Nami gaped at the now empty seat of the lord. "Weren't we supposed to train tomorrow?"

Nami for the first time looked fearful for her friend. "I think he's going to kick your ass now".

Jo began to feel nauseous at the idea of having to face Sesshomaru. In fact, she felt dizzy and light on her feet.

The redhead saw this at once, "Jo! Don't pass out on me!"

Rin got up from her side of the table and waved a sad goodbye before retreating back to her room. Jo looked surprised at the gesture.

"Hn…I may die."

)O(

Sesshomaru angrily paced his training grounds. A human stood up to him and it needed to be dealt with immediately. It confirmed his thoughts that these girls were human, because only a human would be stupid enough to lie to him.

Sesshomaru grabbed his large katana Tokojin from the wall and held it up weighing it between his fingers. The old sword had slayed many demons and despite its old age still worked just as good if not better as the day it was brandished. He had stopped pacing when a soft knock came from the door.

"Come in."

)O(

As Nami and Jo walked down the empty halls they couldn't help but notice how much the art on the walls enhanced the gloomy mood. Jo sighed before running down some hallways. Nami appeared incredulously confused watching her run off.

"Where are you going!"

Jo continued running and smirked back at Nami and shouted down the hall, "I'm going to get the gear I left in the room! Wait for me in the training room!"

"Uh…Sure." Nami knocked on the door of the training room and entered after a short response of 'Come In'.

Sesshomaru stood now with battle armor and one large sword by his side. Nami carefully walked into the room laughing nervously. "Jo is coming shortly. She just went to go grab some things."

It piqued the lord's curiosity, "What things?"

"Her gear. Gloves and a bandana-" Nami had paused from the sudden noise coming from behind the door. Not long after she heard it, the toad had stumbled in with weapons in his small hands. He left as quickly as possible leaving the door open.

Nami almost drowned in the awkward silence before Sesshomaru had finally spoke up.

"Why were you asking her those questions concerning this Lord Sesshomaru?" Nami almost fainted at being asked such a personal question from out of the awkward silence.

"Well, when Jo's feelings are concerned, I like to tease her a lot. It's easy to rile her up and push her buttons. So…now you know."

The lord only questioned Nami further, "If that was the case, why did you suggest she liked me when you two were in the hallway."

Nami sighed, "I meant nothing by it. It wasn't you I was talking about either. Also, I was checking."

"Checking what?" the lord said with a cold stare.

Nami laughed nervously once more, "To see if she l-," Nami carefully chose her words, "regarded someone in any way."

The conversation was abruptly interrupted as Jo entered the room with her gloves on and bandana wrapped around her neck. "Did I interrupt something?"

The lord returned to glaring at Jo once more, "No. Pick your weapon up and prepare your stance."

Jo unsheathed two large sabers and crossed them in a defensive stance. The lord pointed his sword at Nami as well.

"You too."

Nami's eyes widened, "What?"

Jo grinned, "Looks like I'm not the only one suffering now."

Nami, now with broadsword in her hands, picked a defensive stance beside Jo.

For several seconds, it was at a standstill until the lord lunged forward at Nami. She blocked and dodged and hoped for the best as he turned towards Jo. The moment Jo took a step back the lord came forward at an amazing speed and brought his sword down on Jo's blades.

'He really isn't human!'

They stood struggling for an advantage until the demon kicked her legs out from under her. Before she met the ground, the demon lord kicked her sideways so that she hit the wall opposite to them. Slowly, Jo got up and popped her shoulders before barrel rolling on the floor to dodge the flying sword that swung her way. Nami took her sword and began an offensive stance.

The demon now turned towards Nami. As he cut into Nami's right, she brought up her sword to defend. The demon then took a swift swing catching Nami on her stomach. A small scratch now lay on her freshly cut abdomen. Nami winced as her finger prodded the cut. For a small cut, it hurt badly and the more she moved the more the cut widened and bled. She looked up to find Jo fighting once again with Sesshomaru.

Jo lunged forward with her right and forced the sword out of the demons hand. With her other saber, she caught it and flung it to the opposite side of the room. The demon was impressed, but would rather die before actually admitting it.

Sesshomaru's claws lengthened and he continued fighting with poison oozing from the tips giving him the upper hand once again. Jo kept dodging the flurry of swipes to avoid being poisoned.

Every time she moved back or dodged, the demon lord would close the gap between them and aggressively attack. Soon, she would run out of stamina and make a mistake. She was abruptly pulled out of her thoughts when she felt the hilt of her sabers being yanked out of her hands. Sesshomaru's hand was bloody from grasping the sharp edges of her sabers.

Her eyes widened when the demon advanced on her with poison claws at his side.

The demon smirked as the whites in his eyes turned completely red, "You can give up and avoid future injuries…"

Jo glared, "Or."

The demon had let the poison drop and sizzle the wood floors "…Or suffer consequences." the demon had finished for her.

Nami ran between the two waving her hands. "Enough already!"

She glanced at the demon lord warily. "She won't back down so I'm asking you to spare her."

She bowed humbly low then turned to Jo, "Let this one go Jo. Please…for me."

"Fine..." She let out a breath she was holding in and bowed, fists trembling with fury. "I apologize for my actions."

The demon smirked at the two girls, "It's pathetic that you need your friend to save you."

Jo massaged her temple once again. "Do you like arguing with me?"

The lord turned his back on both of them. "It's amusing."

Both girls gaped at the lords retreating back.

He Jokes?


	3. Chapter 3

The girls returned to the dark bedroom they shared. It was simple, but still luxurious. Two plush large futons lay on opposite sides of the room each with a small floor desk and candle holder. On the right, there was a door leading to a bathhouse. Near the end of the room, were large cushions resting on the floor supposedly for comfort and large curtains.

Nami immediately disappeared into the bathhouse to clean the horizontal cut on her stomach while Jo gently prodded her bruise. She hissed in response, but it could've been worse. At least her ribs were intact. She cringed at the memory of her ribs breaking the first time.

Still, this was nothing for them. Nami once relayed the war story of how her left arm was severed and reattached. A thin scar circling her limb like an armlet was all that was left.

Jo had most of her organs rearranged by the sharp point of an epee. Luckily for her, there was a surplus of organs to go around from soldiers that never made it out of the Blitz. She knew all the names of her donors.

Nami exited the bathhouse with an annoyed expression.

"He ruined a perfectly good tank!" Exasperated, she threw up her hands and walked over to the darkest side of the room housing long, thick curtains.

Nami stepped to the curtains and frowned. Why would you have curtains in the room if it had no windows? The redhead lifted the curtain. "Jo, come look at this!"

Jo was currently inspecting a futon suspiciously. It looked nice, but it was still on the floor. She gave the futon one last look before going over to the curtains and pulling them halfway open. "Oh, wow."

On the other side of the curtains, was a slide-in paper door to a huge balcony. Nami slid the door completely back and ran out into the night.

"This balcony is bigger than our bar!" Nami ran to the railing near the edges of the balcony. "Man, that's a nasty fall."

Beyond the railing, the sky was lit by the moon's gleam and the mountains had a soft glow, visible only to them.

The balcony stretched out far enough to reach seven rooms, including their own.

Nami spied through some of the doors while Jo walked and sat on the railing. She looked over the edge and saw how far the drop actually was.

Nami passed two doors and waved for Jo to follow, "There's a door to the bathhouse and Rin's room over here."

The redhead continued to walk past Rin's room to a third door. She hesitantly looked at it and pushed it open. Her eyes widened as she went inside. Bookshelves two stories tall (no pun intended) lined up every single crook and corner. The many rows loomed over her as she walked in.

Jo had walked into the room and almost stumbled not looking where she was going. The library was bigger than both of their old barracks combined. She looked to her right and saw a dim glow from around the corner. She strode towards it while keeping note of where the other girl was.

Upon reaching her destination, she found books stacked on a lounge chair and a table with a burning candle. She picked up one of the books and flipped to the first page. On the page, a document recorded past wars and a list of the opposing armies' weak points.

Jo was perturbed when she glanced at the page's contents. The enemy commander's army was completely foreign to her. Normally, she recognized or had an idea of wars as a soldier. History and tactical strategies had been a part of her training. However, she couldn't fathom where or when any of these wars took place.

The book contained records of the officers and how many soldiers they killed with some even going as high as ten-thousand. She then looked to the bottom of the page and read the neat handwriting.

Unbeknownst to her, someone had been watching her in interest.

)O(

Nami had managed to crawl ten feet above the ground to skim through the titles of large leather-bound books. She lightly ghosted her fingers over the spines before one of the titles caught her eye.

The book was two inches thick with silver engravings in an unreadable language covering the front. She let her hand hover over the spine before pulling it out. She ran her fingers over the soft black leather on the back before dropping it onto a cushion below her and continuing her search. Another book caught her eye to her left. This book had brown leather and gold engravings making decorative filigree across the cover. On the front it read 'Book of Heaven.' This book she also dropped on the cushion. The books mirrored each other, but they were different languages...or translations?

She plopped down from the shelf onto a defenseless cushion and picked up the two books. While rounding a shelf she stopped to look around. The air grew cold and the hairs on her neck stood. She slowly walked in Jo's direction, but stopped. She could have sworn she heard an echo of footsteps. She continued walking past another shelf and then quickly pivoted on her heels getting a surprising result when she was face to face with the person who had been following her.

Directly in front of her, a pair of pale purple eyes looked back into hers. The man had blue hair that reached his shoulders and long bangs that shaded half his face, but didn't hide a marking the shape of a diamond on his forehead. He wore dark blue baggy pants to hide the more important parts and bore tattoos on his chest of a blue dragon that's tail reached past his shoulder to his back.

Nami looked at the male before him in awe. All in all, he was handsome. The face in front of hers smirked before stepping back and crossing his arms over his chest.

"You wouldn't happen to be one of those guards Lord Sesshomaru hired, would you?"

Nami furrowed her eyebrows in confusion before speaking, "Why?"

"Well," the man began, "The lord doesn't hire humans and neither would I, but I guess your race wasn't why he hired you."

Nami only glared at him when this was said, "What the hell are you talking about?"

The blue haired demon only chuckled at the redhead, "You should watch your tone some of the demons aren't as nice as me." He only grinned when Nami narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'll let you in on a secret. If the lord really wanted a guard for his little brat he would have sent a demon, not two weak humans. Also you two are female which-"

The blue haired demon had not been able to finish before Nami walked away, books in hand. The demon looked incredulously at her retreating back. He swiftly walked beside her and continued a one-sided conversation.

"You're a funny looking human. If you hadn't been picked up by the lord you would sell very highly in a slave ring. Pets are becoming very popular with demons."

Nami stopped walking. "What do you mean pets?"

The demon also stopped, eyes blinking in realization. He then turned to the curious girl. "Pets are a just a name we call them. Some pets are the pleasurable kind," He smirked at the expression of disgust that crossed her features.

"However, you walked in here with weapons, so you can't be that. So you have to be a blood spiller. There happens to be tournaments coming up that the lords enter their fighters in."

He could discern from the look on the girls face she was even more confused. His explanation would last a little longer than expected.

"During this tournament the 'volunteers' fight to the death until one group is left."

Nami raised her eyebrows at the mention of this. "And…"

The demon once again continued. "And you're the volunteers."

)O(

Jo had long finished the first book and read through a second in the stack of books. She was half-way through when she felt a light tap at her shoulder.

"Tell me later, Nami."

The figure behind her smiled. He put his hands over the girl's eyes before speaking in a baritone voice.

"Guess who."

Jo had quickly ducked away from the man's hands and in the process tripped over the lounge chair. Before she flipped over it, the man grabbed her hand and steadied her.

The man holding her had dark red eyes with orange specks in them. His black hair was shoulder-length and pulled back with tufts of hair shaping his face. He wore baggy dark red pants and had a blood colored tattoo of a wolf from his chest to his arm.

"You can let go now." Jo looked into the demons eyes and was fascinated by the odd coloring.

The demon took notice and developed an evil grin. "Like what you see?"

She quickly changed the subject and glanced at him before turning her attention to finding the book she dropped.

"How long have you been standing there?"

The man now stood in front of her with the lost book in his hand. "I've been here long enough to know you like reading statistics on past wars. Which I'd like to add is very odd for a girl your age."

Jo sighed, "So…I like reading about wars. Your point?"

The demon now smirked because of her clueless stare, "Girls your age don't read books about wars. They usually chase after suitors to raise their ranks or already have a family to tend to. Some don't even know how to read."

"Then they are ignorant fools." She spat back.

Jo looked up from the book currently in her hand at the man whose gaze watched her like a hawk. He chuckled at her reply and reached out to one of the bookshelves where a large book rested.

"Such severe judgement," he chuckled. "If you like war books I would recommend this one since the one you are currently reading is part of Lord Sesshomaru's private collectioh."

"Oh, well." Jo put the book down on the stack where it belonged and took the book the demon handed to her.

He smiled, but it was a sad one. Jo noticed and stepped closer to directly look at his eyes. "What's wrong?"

The demon placed the books, the ones Jo set down moments ago, in the correct order so Lord Sesshomaru wouldn't notice.

"It's sad what Lord Sesshomaru is putting you through. If we had met under different circumstances we could have been friends."

Jo was stunned by the demons words. "What's he going to make us do exactly?"

The demon had stood in front of her and expressed seriousness. "He's going to enter you in a tournament. A gladiator's tournament."

Jo held the book to her chest and walked to another shelf.

"That's why he's keeping us? A tournament? Why would he enter us though?"

Thoughts swarmed in her mind of Sesshomaru gleefully watching as she got her skull smashed in.

"Lords enter people they call "volunteers" into the tournament in an attempt to create stronger bonds with the other lords. If a lord's volunteer win, he would hire them for whatever job they asked for. If the lord has no need for them he'll kill them and since you're human I don't expect you to last long even after the tournament."

Jo had sat on the floor and began rubbing her temple. It made sense that they would be expected to earn their jobs, but not like this. Jo looked up as she heard the sound of swift steps behind her. She swiveled on her bum and looked up at the new arrival. Upon realizing who it was she quickly stood, but once again tripped over the lounge chair. Jo yelped as she flipped over the chair and felt the cold marble meet her back.

Jo groaned from behind the chair. She had not meant to embarrass herself in front of Sesshomaru and the other demon. She felt a spasm over the already bruised area around her side. As she sat up, she rubbed the spot on her skull that connected with the floor and winced when she felt the growing knot.

The Sesshomaru and demon watched as she got up slowly this time. She knew she was in trouble by the cold stare she received from the demon lord and the sympathetic one from the black haired demon. Sesshomaru walked forward and grabbed one of the books on top of the stack.

"Who told you, you could come here and read this book?" He asked icily.

Jo walked to the floor to the book she dropped during her fall. "No one."

She picked it up nervously knowing the lord staring daggers at her. "You shouldn't put your nose where it doesn't belong!"

Jo once again rubbed her temples in aggravation.

"I wasn't aware that I'm not allowed to be here. Furthermore, I don't know much about the rules here so you can't expect much. I am "human" after all." Jo's icy reply had stunned the other demon in the room and irritated the lord.

"I won't hesitate to beat you again." Jo looked angrily at the lord's back as he turned and grabbed the book from the stack and turned to talk to the other demon quietly. He handed the demon the book before walking out of view.

The demon looked behind him to make sure the lord was gone and strode over to Jo's side. He grinned and put the book that had been in the lord's private stack into her hands.

"While you were glaring at the lord's back, he told me to give this to you. I'm to help you find books and escort you to your room."

Jo was puzzled at the demon's statement. "Are you joking?"

The demon had grabbed a cart from a corner and chuckled as he saw her eyes widen.

"Nope."


	4. Chapter 4

Nami sniggered when she had found out that blue haired demon's name was Mizu. Water.

"What are you laughing at?"

Nami struggled to keep in her laughs in and eventually had to hold her sides.

"I'm sorry! It's just your name is so…girly!"

Mizu playfully poked the girl that was presently on the floor with his foot.

"Shut up! At least my name isn't NAMI. God forbid I be named something as horrid as that!"

The redhead rolled her eyes at the male's antics.

"There is nothing wrong with my name. In fact I think my name suits me."

Mizu snorted at her comment.

"Your name means wave and mine means water. I think it's romantic."

Nami silently agreed with Mizu with an awkward nod and headed towards the entrance of the library.

When she walked out the door, she decided to walk out towards the ledge of the balcony. Mizu had sat on the railing beside her with his feet dangling in the air and she simply leaned on it. She began to wring her hands in anxiety at the thought of having to go into a tourney. She had discovered from Mizu that the tournament was two days away and failure to compete resulted in instant death.

Mizu had thoroughly explained the methodology of the competition, but some parts continued to remain foggy. The demon explained that the lords would bring large groups or more groups than necessary most times. Others brought in very small groups, which didn't make sense to the redhead at all. If a lord wanted their team to win why did he bring small groups?

Mizu recognized the troubled expression on Nami's face and seemed to know what she was thinking.

"What part of the tournament confuses you?"

Nami sat up on the railing and held the two books she originally had on her lap before asking her question.

"If lords want to win why do some have such small groups?"

"Either the lords are confident of their champions or he didn't come there to win."

Nami groaned knowing there was more to the explanation. "Why would he not come there to win?"

"Lords usually go to tournaments to make stronger bonds and hope for future alliances when they participate with other lords during the tournament and sometimes a little bloodshed may do the trick."

"Oh…damn. Lord Sesshomaru is going to enter us so the other lords can watch us be stabbed with joy!" She couldn't fathom why anyone would willingly lose or allow other beings to be slaughtered. It made no sense to her.

"That would be the idea." Both Mizu and Nami looked up to find two people standing near them. One was Jo and the other was the demon who had spoken.

Jo sat beside the ledge of the balcony and placed four books near her that she collected from the library. "Kasai already told me about the tournament."

Nami sighed, "It sucks. Do you think we still have to train tomorrow?"

Jo grabbed her books and paused before returning to her room. "I know I am. I'm tired so I think I'll go rest." Nami nodded before muttering a 'me too'.

Kasai strode along beside Jo. Jo looked curiously in his direction. "Are you staying nearby?"

Mizu was the one to speak up this time. "Actually, we'll be sharing a room."

Nami frowned at this and threw an annoyed look towards Jo's direction. "We're getting baby-sat because of you."

"Shut up and go to sleep."

)O(

Nami felt the sun on her face as she groggily woke. She looked over to her right to find everyone already awake. Mizu was lounging on the cushions in the corner while Kasai and Jo sat on the other futon looking through the books picked out from last night. Nami sat up from her futon and rubbed her eyes. "How come you guys didn't wake me up?"

"We thought about it, but you stopped snoring so we didn't care anymore."

"I don't snore…" Nami replied annoyed. Mizu grinned and with a quick flip was on his feet and in Nami's face.

"How do you know you don't snore if you're never awake to hear it?" It was more of a statement than an answer and Nami knew he was right.

"Oh, whatever." Nami got up and stretched before walking over to the bathroom to wash her face. She groaned as her stomach growled at her. "What's for breakfeast?"

Mizu had walked into the bathroom and sat down on the floor. "You slept passed noon. It's lunch time now."

"Well, I'm hungry. Are there any kitchens?"

Mizu stood and gestered for everyone to follow him.

They were soon walking through the same halls they had been through the previous day. They made a sharp left and headed to what looked like servants quarters because of the loss of extravagant decorations. Instead there were slightly less extravagant decorations. Mizu had stopped in front of an oak door and called out to it.

"Anybody in here? The new guys are hungry."

The group backed up as the door roughly swung open. In the entrance stood a girl the same age as Jo and Nami. Her light blue hair reached down to her knees despite being held in a high ponytail. Her gray eyes were light and had a rim of green on the edges. She wore a loose blue shirt that hung off one of her shoulders and a silver necklace around her neck. Her pants ended above her knees and she wore black work sandals, rough from scuffing the floor.

"Hey Mizu! The food is already done. It's on the counter, so you guys can just help yourself." She paused finally noticing the two girls.

"Hello, I'm Umi. You're the guards, right? The lord is less volatile since you guys came. I guess after he beat one of you up he relaxed. Which one did he beat up?"

A nervous laugh came from Jo. "That would be me."

The blue haired girl's eyes widened. "Everybody here knows about you! Jakken went and told all the help how you stood up for yourself. If anybody outside the palace heard of that you'd be well respected."

Nami yawned, "I fought too…"

Umi smiled, "I know, but you didn't argue with the lord. Your friend is lucky to be alive. "

Both Nami and Jo looked at each other when this was said incredulously. Jo then walked around Umi to the other side of the door.

"Lucky, my ass."

Nami nodded in agreement and quickly made her way in when the aroma of rice reached her nose.

)O(

The group of four returned to their room after lunch.

Nami had thought about the two books sitting on the edge of her futon. Somehow, they were alluring to her. Before she was aware of it, she had sat on the floor and flipped through the pages of the brown leather book titled 'Book of Heaven.'

Her eyes skimmed one of the pages uninterested since it described the shape of a cloud. Nami yawned as she read the details. The beautiful book on the outside appeared to be a very boring science book on the inside. Her eyes shifted through the words until she reached the bottom. In calligraphy was an inscription for a hex. A spell.

She quickly picked up the other book and flipped to the first page. Both the pages looked identical except the language differed and the picture of the cloud was replaced by a heavily rooted tree. Nami looked around and realized it had darkened outside. What seemed like five minutes had been hours passing by. She knew it was daylight when she flipped through the other book. She looked up at the door as it slid open.

Jo walked across the room and sat on her futon tired and sweaty from what Nami guessed was training. Mizu snored lightly from his plush spot in the cushions while Kasai had managed to look comfortable on the floor beside Jo. She slid the book in her hand over to Jo.

"Read that."

Jo looked curious as she picked up the book and skimmed the first page. Her eyes widened slightly as they found the bottom. "That's an incantation. This is old school."

Spellcasting did exist in their time, but it was advanced mechanics than just saying spells aloud. It required advanced chemistry, so only revered specialists used it. Students had to be indicted into an alchemic college to be licensed to practice magic which always irked Jo. She preferred being a scholar than a soldier.

Nami crawled over to the other girl's futon with her book and looked down at the page. The words seem even more complicated as the redhead looked down at them.

"You can understand it, but I can't." Jo held the other book in her hand after switching and furrowed her brows.

"Your book is different too. You can't read this book and I can't read that one."

Nami switched the books and once more flipped through the pages of 'her' book. She grinned as a thought came to her.

"We should use these in the tournament!"

Jo blanked as a thought hit her. "Do we know how to do these?"

"Uh…no." Nami replied and flipped further into her book.

Jo rolled her eyes and stood in the center of the room with book in hand. She cracked her neck, closed her eyes, and stuck her finger in a random spot in the leather bound book. She opened the text and her eyes met the first spell on the page. As she read the spell, the temperature lowered and shadows quickly covered the room. The floor beneath her glowed blue before dark crystals encased her feet.

"I think you may be on to something."

* * *

Get excited! The tournament is next and blood will be spilled. Will it be the heroine's blood? Maybe. Yes. And no.

Who knows! I sure don't...


End file.
